


Gentle Love

by Bisexualtrashlord



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Caretaking, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-08 23:48:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15254757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bisexualtrashlord/pseuds/Bisexualtrashlord
Summary: Taako had a hard day. Will caring hands and sweet words, Kravitz makes it a little softer.





	Gentle Love

**Author's Note:**

> Hello loves! An alternate title for this fic could be "You Need to Stop," because this fic was a prompt that was part of a "first sentence prompt" list on tumblr. But "you need to stop" doesn't roll off the tongue that well. Anyway, I've wanted to write a good ole hurt/comfort taakitz fic for a while, and I'm really proud of how this turned out!
> 
> Hope you enjoy! Kudos and comments are so appreciated!
> 
> Follow me at http://bircjosta.tumblr.com/ cause I usually post there first.

“You need to stop,” Taako mumbled thickly.

“Stop what?” asked Kravitz, gently lifting him up from the floor, carrying him bridal style to their room.

“Being so fucking nice all the time. It’s gross,” said Taako who, despite his words, nestled deeper into Kravitz’s arms.

Kravitz hummed, “that’s a little easier said than done. People are usually nice to people they love, grossness notwithstanding.”

Taako sniffled, “The L word. Disgusting.”

_ He came home to find Taako in the middle of one of his bad days. Kravitz has seen his fair share of these; he kind where Taako could barely get out of bed, where he would cook every dish he could think of, leaving the kitchen looking like the finest bakeries, but not eat a single crumb of it. The kind of day where Taako would spend hours and hours in his walk-in closet, staring at his reflection until it turned into a glare, clawing at his face and mourning the loss of his beauty. He reached his breaking point, for Kravitz came home to find his closet in ruins. Makeup and hair products tossed around the room as if a hurricane came through, powders and blush dusted the walls, some of his clothes were crudely ripped into ribbons. But the thing that made Kravitz’s heart shatter, was the sight of Taako lying on the floor in the fetal position, with tears of dark mascara streaming down his face with wide, shifting eyes, sobbing and shaking. He had a viselike grip on a pair of scissors, and that is when Kravitz saw the strands upon strands of golden hair on the floor and scattered across Taako’s body, and the uneven, choppy, uneven haircut Taako now had. _

_ Kravitz kept his movements slow as he bent to Taako’s level. “Dove?” he asked softly. _

_ Taako gasped with a start, still shaking like a leaf. His eyes darted to Kravitz. _

_ “K-Kravitz?” _

_ “I’m here, Taako; I’m right here,” Kravitz murmured, placing a cautionary hand on the nape of Taako’s neck. _

_ “I’m sorry…” Taako whimpered. _

_ “What for?” _

_ “It’s…Taako isn’t having a good one. I tried…I tried to…I tried to get through it myself but…” Taako choked. _

_ “I know, Taako, it’s okay, it isn’t your fault. I’m home now, you’re not alone anymore okay?” Kravitz murmured. Taako nodded jerkily. _

_ “What do you need?” asked Kravitz. _

_ “I wanna…I just wanna stay here like this j-just for a little while longer. I’ll get up soon b-but…but I want to stay here,” Taako stammered. _

_ Kravitz nodded, “Okay, Taako. You want me to stay with you?” _

_ “Please,” Taako whispered. _

_ The next hour saw Taako and Kravitz on the cushy floor of his closet, Kravitz laying down and holding Taako from behind, whispering assurances that they were both alive, and that things would be okay. Taako’s crying changed to hiccups, and his grip on the scissors loosened, allowing Kravitz to gently take them out of his hand. _

_ “Let’s clean up, hm?” asked Kravitz. _

_ Taako’s sleepy nod was all the answer Kravitz needed. _

Kravitz rested Taako on top of the sheets, and quickly retreated to the bathroom to get everything he needed. When he emerged, he joined Taako on the bed, who smeared his makeup as he wiped his eyes.

“Turn to me?” Kravitz murmured, gently taking Taako’s chin his palm. The elf turned his body and leaned into his touch, closing his eyes. Kravitz took a makeup wipe from the pack and slowly stroked it along Taako’s cheeks, jet black fading away to leave his smooth brown skin in its wake. Taako sighed at the coolness of the cloth.

“Feel good?” asked Kravitz, tossing the used on aside and producing a fresh wipe, moving on to the caked makeup on Taako’s eyelids.

Taako nodded, “the touch of an angel.”

Kravitz chuckled lightly, “I’m glad.”

He worked in comfortable silence, his deft hands making quick work of the makeup. Kravitz hurried to the bathroom and produced a wet cloth to dab at Taako’s puffy eyes. Up close, Kravitz could see the deep bags under them, and how bloodshot they were.

“Want me to help with your hair?” asked Kravitz.

“Y-yeah, I kinda, uh, fucked it up real bad,” Taako said with a nervous, shaky, humourless laugh.

“Nothing we can’t fix. Here,” Kravitz crawled to the pillows and rested his back against them, and tapped his thighs for Taako to sit in between them. Once Taako was there, Kravitz got a clear glimpse at the state of Taako’s hair; it was still long in places, but short and hastily cut in others. He brushed through the strands, smoothing it out before snipping it, evening the length. The room was quiet, save for the sound of scissors cutting hair and Taako’s now (thankfully) even breathing.

“What do you think?” asked Kravitz. Taako hopped from the bed and surveyed his new haircut in the mirror. It was short, shorter than he’s ever worn his hair; it barely went to his neck. Taako’s eyebrows raised slightly in surprise; Kravitz was somehow able to maintain the waviness. It would take some getting used to but it looked...good.

“I like it, I like it a lot. Thank you, Krav,” said Taako, running his hands through it.

“No problem.”

“And thank you for cleaning me up, and for letting me bawl like an idiot, and being with me and...and...for everything…” Taako’s eyes welled up with tears again, he quickly wiped them away.

“Come here,” murmured Kravitz, opening his arms. Taako walked into them and rested his head on his chest, gripping his shirt.

“I hate feeling like this…” Taako mumbled.

“I know, but you’re having a rough day, and that’s okay.” Whispered Kravitz, kissing his hair.

“It’s actually been a rough couple of days…” Taako muttered, pulling away to wipe his eyes.

“What’s a ‘couple?’”

“...ten?”

“You’ve been feeling like this for  _ ten _ days?!” Kravitz whispered.

“I tried to keep myself busy, with meetings and stuff. The Taako brand is to work away the pain.”

“Oh, Taako…”

“Yeah, not the smartest move.”

“It’s not that it’s...I’m so sorry for not realizing how you were feeling.”

Taako shrugged, “I didn’t tell you, so how could you know?”

“How long has it been since you’ve slept? As in,  _ really _ slept? Not meditating.”

“I can’t remember…”

Kravitz thought for a moment. “How about this? You lay here, relax as best as you can, and I’ll clean up the closet, okay?”

“You--”

“I know I don’t have to, but I  _ want _ to. I want to help you feel a little bit better, it’s the least I can do. Afterwards, whenever you wake up, we’ll shower with your favorite soap. You know, the one that smells like jasmine and vanilla,” Kravitz said with a small smile.

Taako chuckled, “you know me so well.”

“And afterwards, we’ll do anything you want.”

“Anything?” Taako asked, smiling for the first time that whole day.

“It has to be legal.”

“...damn it. That gets rid of the first five things on my list. But I’ll think of something.”

Later that night, Taako and Kravitz were clad in their fluffiest bathrobes, a sea of their cushiest pillows strewn across the floor. The house was warm and smelled sweet from the shower, mixing with the spices in the stew they reheated. 

Taako and Kravitz were snuggled deep in their sheets, Taako resting his head on Kravitz’s chest while Kravitz drew lazy shapes on his shoulder.

“They look great, you’re getting really good at this,” said Taako, admiring the manicure Kravitz gave him, taking in the pale pink polish in the dark.

“I learned from the best. That pink really is your color.”

“Everything is my color,” scoffed Taako.

Kravitz chuckled, “you’re right.”

Taako yawned and pulled more of the sheets over his body.

“Tired?”

“Supremely. That hour long power nap didn’t cut it.”

“Get some sleep, I’ll be here when you wake up.” Kravitz murmured, running his hand along Taako’s back. 

“Kravitz?”

“Hm?”

“Can you...can you hum a little? It helps.”

Kravitz felt his heart thump, “Sure,” he whispered.

“Thanks,” Taako nestled deeper in Kravitz’s embrace, letting his heavy eyes flutter closed.

“Okay, lull me off to dreamland.”

Kravitz thought about what song to choose, before settling on an old folk tune he’s hasn’t heard in a hundred years. He surprised himself at how well he remembered the music. His humming faded away, sighing in relief at the peaceful image of Taako sleeping soundly, soft snores filling the room.

“Goodnight, love,” whispered Kravitz, before falling asleep.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
